A Different Kind of Love
by Crystal Wings and Black Roses
Summary: Rei meets an old friend from the past and it makes Aya uneasy. But that friend also brings along a new enemy that chooses to manipulate Aya's insecurities to get what he wants. How far would you go for love?
1. Doushite?

"A Different Kind of Love" (Chapter 1 – Doushite?)

_THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED 10-18-08_

_UPDATES 10-17-08: Okay, so I know I haven't updated this story in a LOONNGGGG time, and I doubt people are still actually reading this, but lately I've been wanting to finish up this fanfic once and for all. Especially considering how I would feel if a story I liked never had an ending, and I had already put too much work in the first 4 chapters to just give up on it._

_After rereading this story, I noticed how embarrassingly inaccurate and totally WRONG my Japanese was back then. A lot of the Japanese phrases don't even make sense! So I got rid of most of them, and added a little more punctuation where necessary. There is still some Japanese phrases in here, so PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know if they are wrong! Translations are found in the parenthesis (?)._

_I also changed the title from "The Past Has No Place in My Heart" to "A Different Kind of Love" because I felt that the previous title didn't suit the new direction that I wanted this fanfic to take. The entire story has been slightly revamped, but the pre-existing chapters haven't been changed much, since the real changes are in the later parts of the story that I haven't uploaded. I still recommend that you reread the updated version of the old chapters to avoid confusion._

_I will be editing and finishing the rest of the story soon. Also, comments, questions and suggestions are welcomed. Please don't be a butthole though. _

_- Lots of love, Crissie_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SUPERGALS!**

* * *

_LIGHT_

"Mmmmm…" Sunshine shone brightly on the bed of a beautiful young girl. Her name was **Aya Hoshino**. She flickered her eyes and opened them slowly, not fully awake yet, until her alarm went off. 9:00 am: time to wake up.

_"Oh yeah,"_ She remembered as she sat up _"I'm going out with Ran and the others today."_ With her head still ringing, she tumbled into the shower and took a long, hot bath.

_"I can't wait! It's been so long since we've been out together."_

Final exams had just ended and now the top gals of Shibuya were ready to rock and roll. A nice outfit, comfy shoes, and a cute bag that held all her GAL essentials. She even found all of her accessories right where she expected them to be.

_"This is going to be great!"_ she told herself happily as she headed outside and fetched a cab to take her to the rendezvous.

* * *

**"Who the hell isn't here yet?!"** demanded a whiny, booming voice, which undeniably belonged to only one person: The self-proclaimed ruler of Shibuya, **Ran Kotobuki**. Though the teena was pretty, she had a terrible temper and it was often best to do things her way. Unless of course, you want a high-heeled boot in your face.

"Ran! Don't be so noisy! We're in public for crying out loud. People can hear you!" a pretty young blonde told her, as she looked around the entrance to the mall, searching for the familiar faces in question.

"Put a sock in it Miyu! I don't want to wait and you know it." Ran stubbornly replied with her tongue sticking out. **Miyu** couldn't help but giggle each time Ran did that. Her immaturity was just as pleasant sometimes as it was annoying.

"I think we're all here… Wait, where's Aya? We're missing Aya." Yuuya said.

"And Tatsuki." Ran added.

Yuuya scowled. **Tatsuki Kuroi** wasn't exactly his favourite person in the world. It wasn't because of anything that Tatsuki had done to Yuuya, but because Yuuya was jealous of him. The 2nd place magazine Grand Prix winner had been crushing on Ran much longer than Tatsuki, but the "monkey-boy" had won Ran's heart so simply, that it was quite painstaking compared to Yuuya's numerous failed attempts (most of them unwittingly foiled by Ran herself) at wooing Shibuya's queen. But just as Tatsuki was oblivious to Yuuya's hostile feelings toward him, Ran was completely unaware that **Yuuya Asou** had fallen madly in love with her.

"How long is this going to take?" a cool, smooth and irritated voice demanded.

**Rei Otohata** wasn't the type who enjoyed going out, and the fact that he is usually forced into having fun, doesn't make him an agreeable person most of the time. He thinks talk is pointless, yet when he does speak, you'll probably wish he hadn't. He always maintains a cool and calm presence (to the point of being emotionless), but only because he doesn't care about things enough to let it bother him. Yet despite all his less-than-desirable personality traits, he had looks that were to would die for (as shown and told in every teenage magazine), had won 1st prize in a Grand Prix contest and has hundreds of fan girls taking every possible opportunity to ambush him for his autograph. If anything, his "Cool As A Cucumber" persona just added even more spice to his hot plate.

"How long are we going to keep standing here doing nothing?" he repeated, still annoyed "I still can't believe I let you talk me into this stupid gimmick, Yuuya."

Ran's face started to look equally annoyed at Rei, and upon seeing this, Yuuya immediately replied:

"Calm down Rei! I'm sure they'll be here soon. Loosen up a bit! You'll have fun this time, I promise!"

At that, Rei gave his friend a look that told him this definitely wasn't the case. Yuuya knew that in Rei's P.O.V. (point of view), anything that involved Ran Kotobuki was either pointless or troublesome. But before he could say anything, a yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them and Aya stepped out.

"Aya-chan! You made it!" Ran said in a cheerful tone "Let's go then!"

"Wait Ran, aren't you going to wait for Tatsuki?" Miyu reminded her.

"Neh? Oh yeah, he'll just have to catch up with us then. I'm sure he knows that he can't keep me waiting. C'mon, we don't have all day!" Ran replied cheerfully as she led the way into the mall. No one argued. They knew it would be pointless anyway.

* * *

The mall was pretty crowded, with teenagers, families and children going in all sorts of directions. You probably couldn't even walk one floor without bumping into someone at least a couple of times. But the girls were pretty used to it. This kind of energy could only be found in a lively place like Shibuya, and that's why they loved it. There was always something exciting going on, always something cute to buy and always a reason to celebrate. A total GAL paradise!

About 15 minutes later, they found Tatsuki on the 3rd floor, fumbling around like a lost kid. And a few more shops afterward, everyone heard a loud growl.

"Geez, I'm starving!" Ran commented, placing her hand on her stomach, as everyone (except Rei) laughed. What else was new?

As they headed for the nearest Ramen restaurant, Miyu bumped into a somewhat tall young lady and fell onto the floor.

"Gomen nasai! I wasn't looking where I was going..." Miyu apologized as she tried to get up when suddenly the tall girl reached her hand out to help her. (Sorry)

"Iie, It was my fault. Daijoubu?" she asked. (No, it was my fault. Are you okay?)

"Eli-san?" Rei asked in a rather shocked voice. The girl looked up and asked in the same surprised tone: "Rei-kun?"

Everyone looked back and forth between the two and decided that they'd better continue the chitchat INSIDE the restaurant (Ran's furious stomach growling was getting embarrassing).

When they were inside, Aya and Ran ordered the gang some food while Yuuya and Miyu asked how the two knew each other.

"Rei-kun and I were friends back when we were little. We went to a prep school in Osaka together and we were pretty close." Elile said, sliding her arm around Rei's. "But it seems like I've missed a lot these past few years. How've you been Otohata-kun?"

Before Rei could open his mouth, Yuuya answered for him: "He's the Grand Prize winner of this popular magazine contest and that made him some sort of celebrity with girls. But for reasons unknown to the rest of us, he hates the attention and usually spends most of his time hiding from female terrorists bent on getting in his pants!" Yuuya chuckled.

Rei glared at him. But Elile didn't seem to notice.

"Wow, a magazine contest? That sounds incredible! So you're a chick magnet now, eh? Hahaha… My little Aipon is all grown up!" the girl commented jokingly.

Aya glanced at Rei and saw that he had blushed slightly at the other girl's comment. Aya then quickly looked away from him. To see Rei show emotion is pretty rare, and to see him embarrassed was well thought to be impossible – at least until now.

_"She even has a pet name for him!"_ Aya thought to herself _"I wonder what she means to Rei? He certainly means a lot to her. But Rei never said anything about… Well of course he wouldn't say anything about that. He'd probably just tell me that it isn't any of my business. And it really isn't any of my business. So why do I feel this way? Something about it doesn't feel right. I don't feel right…"_

Aya felt a strange burning down in her stomach, but knew that it wasn't hunger. It felt thicker, stronger, wilder, and even angrier… Anger? She shook her head, trying to shake the feeling away. But as she looked up and saw her friends still hung on the mystery girl's every word, she felt her angriness carving onto her face.

"_This is ridiculous."_ She thought and decided to try and steer the conversation away from this unwelcome stranger. "Ran-" she started to say, but before she could get to the next word – Ran herself interrupted, asking:

"Sorede, onamaewa nandesuka?" (So, what's your name?)

The girl smiled and replied "**Elile Tsukino**, demo, you can call me Eli-san."

"What a pretty name!" Miyu smiled "I think I've heard it before… Oh yeah! The Chairman of this big boating business has the same last name as you I think…"

"William Tsukino? Yes, well he's my father, actually…" Elile replied modestly.

"MASAKA!! (NO KIDDING!!) So your family has like millions of dollars?! And you're like an heiress? Like Paris Hilton?!" Ran asked, her mouth full of sushi, hanging open in awe.

Aya remained quiet for the rest of the evening while everyone else was too interested in Elile to notice - everyone except Rei. He saw that Aya had distanced herself from the rest of the group and he knew the reason why. But now didn't seem like the time to test that theory.

* * *

At the end of the day, Ran yawned saying: "Maa gee, the day's over already! And just when I was getting to know you Eli-san! I hope we see each other again!" she added hopefully.

Aya's face lit up_. "That's right! We're never going to see her again. At least not for a long time... Long enough that perhaps by then, me and Rei would be so rock solid that Elile wouldn't bother us the least bit when she comes back." _Despite being ashamed of how wrong she was feeling, Aya couldn't help but be happy that Elile was finally leaving.

"I'm really sorry that we have to say goodbye so soon," Elile replied "I was enjoying this so much… Getting new friends, hanging out in Shibuya, seeing Rei again after all these years..."

Aya's thinning cord of patience snapped.

"We have to go now, Ran! We have school in the morning. And I want to go home and study." Everyone looked at Aya with surprised faces.

"But Aya," Miyu said "We don't have school tomorrow, and there's nothing to study because finals just ended. Besides, you yourself told us that you hated studying. Why do you wanna leave so soon?"

"Oh! That's right… Well," Aya stammered "I guess I'm just tired Miyu, the stress from the finals are still hanging over me… And report cards will be coming out soon too. So I guess it's all just wearing me out or something…"

Everyone agreed and said a considerable amount of goodbyes and goodnights to each other before actually parting ways.

As the six started to walk away, Elile called out to them:

"Sayonara, Ran, Miyu, Aya!"

"Goodnight!" Miyu and Ran called back in unison.

"Shizukani!" (Shut up!) Aya muttered under her breath. Rei, who was beside her, heard it and looked at her. She didn't look back. But now he was sure: Aya was jealous.

* * *

_"Jealous?! Me?! I am so sure! As if I'm jealous! I'm not! Why should I be jealous of her?! Tell me WHY!"_

Aya was in her room now, pacing back and forth nervously. Her feelings mixed and boiled as if they were cooking in a saucepan. She never thought that she'd get so jealous, especially considering how well she'd been dealing with her insecurities lately.

I mean, it's not like she'd never pictured Rei wanting another girl. In fact, it's impossible not to when the boy you're in love with has hundreds of groupies that would risk getting murdered, tortured and trampled on by fellow fans just to see him ink some paper – or skin.

But Aya had never felt the same way around Rei's fans the way she felt – and acted – tonight with Elile. There was an undeniable connection between her and Rei. But what kind of connection?

_"Why the hell am I so worried about this?!"_ she thought angrily to herself _"They're childhood friends for crying out loud, not the next effing Romeo and Juliet!" _

She stopped in the middle of her room and sighed.

"_Besides, Elile won't even be around anymore. So I should just stop thinking about her… Stop thinking about her!" _

Aya collapsed to her bed, exhausted. She just couldn't convince herself that everything would go back to the way it used to. Dread was making her stomach queasy.

_"I have to sleep now… I'm so tired..."_ And before she could finish her sentence, she was already fast asleep.

* * *

_"Ohio!" (Good Morning!) _

Aya woke up feeling unusually good. The weekend had passed pretty well and now it was time for school – the one place she knew she wouldn't find Elile. She showered, put on her best uniform and styled her hair. She was in a good mood. And soon it was off to school…

There was seemed to be more hustle and bustle in Hounan High school than usual. Something felt different, but Aya dismissed it as paranoia. Nothing would get in the way of her Elile-free day. Besides, it was probably just a new club, new teacher, new Meisho Daichi bag, a new hottie at school, or something like that. No big deal.

When she finally spotted Ran and Miyu, they were busy chatting excitedly with their friends Satsuki and Rie.

"Ran! Miyu! Ohio!" she calls.

"Aya-chan!" Ran says, "We have good news! Koko ni kinasai! (Come here!)"

Ran motions for Aya to come towards them and when she does, she utterly regrets it.

"Aya-chan, look who's here!"

"Hoshino-san! Hisashiburi! (Long time no see!)" a cheerful voice called out. Crap.

"Elile-san! Doushite anata wa koko ni desu ka? (Why are you here?)"

Ran slapped Aya on her back "She's studying here! Apparently, she transferred a few days ago. That's why she was in Shibuya. Isn't that great?!"

Aya didn't answer, but bowed her head instead, causing her long black hair to fall on either sides of her face, hiding her hurt-covered eyes.

Miyu glanced at her friend "Aya, naniga mondai desu ka?? (what's the matter?)"

Aya quickly looked up "E? Umm, I'm fine. I'm r-really glad to see you again Elile-san. So, will you really be studying here from now on?"

"No, it's only temporary." Elile replied "I'm only in town for a few weeks because I'm going to be participating in an upcoming ice skating competition."

Miyu beamed "That's right Aya! Turns out that Tsukino-chan here is an amazing competitive figure skater! She'll be competing in the Indigo Ice Show at MoonGAL mall in about 2-3 weeks."

"Isn't that a one-day only show? Then why are you staying here so long?" Aya tried her best not to show the true feelings behind that question.

"Well the skating program that I have to attend in order to participate is stationed here in Shibuya. And all figure skaters have to have some sort of "official" practice on the rink where the competition is held so that we can kind of get used to it and synchronize our routine according to the size and shape of the ice. Plus my dad doesn't want me to abandon my studies, so he enrolled me for a temporary spot in this school's honour class! Although I'll be a bit busy with training, I'm sure I can find time for us to go out. Especially now that we're in the same honour class together!" Elile smiled at her.

"Ah I see… I can understand if you're too busy to hang out with us, Eli-san. Don't feel as though you're obligated to spend time with us." Aya said, smiling back. _"Please."_

"Nonsense! I don't feel obligated at all. I really enjoy hanging out with you guys! Oh, and speaking of hanging out, Ran wants us all to go out later. You know, to celebrate my transferring here? I know it's already obvious, but you should come!"

Aya didn't want to have to endure another outing with Elile. "D-demo, I have lots of homework. You know, honour class and all... So I don't think I can go... S-sumimasen. (But… Sorry.)"

Ran slapped her hand on the wall "Geez, Aya will you give yourself a rest?! Studying all the time makes you do crazy things, you know. Besides, the top rule of GALS is not to get a good education, but to have fun, and stick with your friends when they need you. And I NEED you to come celebrate with us!"

"The only reason why you don't think a good education is important is because no matter how good the education is, you still don't learn a thing." Miyu commented sarcastically.

"After all," Ran continued, ignoring Miyu "Otohata-kun and 2nd place are coming too..."

She trailed off suggestively, knowing that if there was one thing that could turn the tables, it would be Rei. Aya pretended to think real hard. But she already knew how she felt. The fact that Rei was coming just made her not want to go even more.

"Naruhodo… I see… Demo iie (But no), I'm not going Ran, that's that."

"Awww, c'mon Aya!" Ran cried out furiously "You can't just ditch me for textbooks and Naka-teach's A+ stamps!" Ran's face immediately turned sad, as she decided to switch tactics "Onegai... Tomodachi... (Please… buddy…) For ME?"

Miyu gave Ran another sarcastic look, then turned to Aya. "Surely you're not going to fall for this little baffoon's lousy acting, now are you?" Miyu gave her a reassuring smile "If you really don't want to go … Sore dewa, watashi wa kamaimasen." (Then, it's okay with me.)

Aya looked at Ran. She couldn't stand the thought of seeing Rei and Elile together again, but neither could she help her natural warm-hearted tendencies. She unwillingly remembered all the things Ran had done for her, what she would have become if her friend hadn't stepped in to save her, and realized sadly that if Ran didn't get her way, her conscience would. It just wasn't fair for her to bring everyone else down, just because she was feeling oversensitive.

"Alright, I'll go." Aya couldn't help but smile reluctantly. At least her friends still wanted her around, despite their fixation on Elile. "I am a SuperGal after all, and we should never back out from anything that the group decides on."

"Yatta!" Ran cheered. As she turned to Miyu, she said "I guess my acting isn't that lousy after all." She stuck her tongue out and suddenly remembered "Oh yeah. Miyu, I called Yamato a while ago and he said he's coming with us too. Geez, it's not like my stupid brother doesn't spend enough time thinking about you!"

"Hontou?" (Really?) Miyu exclaimed instantly looking happier "Arigatou Ran!" (Thank you Ran!)

"Yeah yeah, you can shower me with praise later! It's not like I'd really leave him out anyways." Ran said smugly as she leaned against the wall, raising her palms to support the back of her head.

"Now I can't wait 'till school's over! I can just imagine how much fun this is gonna be with all of us there!" Miyu replied as she smiled brightly at the thought of seeing her boyfriend soon.

"_It's not really Yamato who's going to be left out this time…"_ Aya thought sadly _"Demo, doushite watashi ga desu ka?"_ (But, why does it have to be me?)

_"Doushite..."_

* * *

_Well that's the end of Chapter 1 everyone! I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what I'm doing wrong so I can write a bit better in the upcoming Chappies! PS I know MoonGal Mall is the cheesiest name ever, but I made it up a long time ago and I just decided to stick with it LOL. I will be uploading the 2__nd__ Chapter soon, and make sure to watch out for the "THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED ?-?-?" sign at the top of the page to make sure that it's the new one._

_Don't forget to review!_

_- Crissie_


	2. Ayachan

"A Different Kind of Love" (Chapter 2 - Aya-chan)

_THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED 10-16-08_

_Hey everyone, it's Crissie! And here is the newly updated rewrite of Chapter 2! I really hate how we can't use almost any type of punctuation in the title, so it shows up as "Ayachan" instead of "Aya-chan" but anyways, enjoy!_

**DISCLAIMER: I do not OWN SuperGALS! Mihona Fuuji does. I am merely expressing my freedom of expression, ks? Good, now READ!**

* * *

_"I can't believe this is happening… I-I can't believe I'm feeling this way… I d-don't know what's going to happen now… What I'm supposed to do…?!" _

"Hoshino!" Naka-teach called

"Eh?" Aya looked up, startled out of her reverie.

"I've been calling you for the umpteenth time to answer problem number three on the board! What's wrong with you?! Are you daydreaming again?! My goodness, I don't know what's happening to you kids these days. Probably been overexposed to Kotobuki haven't you, Hoshino?" Naka-teach accused.

"Neh?! What are you talking about Naka-teach?! I didn't do anything!" Ran cried out angrily, standing up from her desk. "Why the hell are you always picking on me?! **Honestly,** would you give me freakin' break for once?!"

"Sit down Kotobuki!! **Honestly?!** Well that's rich coming from the girl who gives alien abduction as an excuse for being late 7 times in a row!! **HONESTLY** Kotobuki, it's kids like you who are going to drive me to my grave!" Naka-teach was yelling now.

"By the looks of your bald spots, you're already halfway there…" Ran replied smugly.

**"Why you disrespectful little…!!"**

The next minute, the teacher and Kotobuki are in a head-to-head verbal attack. The class just yawns and considers this the time for a little chitchat. These scenes happen all the time in Ran's class, and for a number of reasons. All they know is that as long as no one bothers those two, they keep at it as long as they can and the class is free to do pretty much anything. But Aya wasn't in the mood for today. Amongst the classroom chaos, she left quietly and no one noticed. It was only until Miyu saw her desk empty did the class realize that she was gone.

Aya walked purposelessly through the silent halls of the school. Classes were still going on, so there was no one around to ask her why she was gallivanting. She was completely unaware of where she was going, unaware of anything else but her thoughts…

_"Why am I like this? I love Rei so much... Why can't I accept that his old friend came back? She's just his friend. She's just his friend. She's just his friend… She is, isn't she? What if they do have something going on? What if…"_ Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when...

**RIIING!** It was the lunch bell. She cursed herself for leaving just before lunchtime. The students were now pouring out of their classrooms and heading out to eat.

She followed the others to the lunchroom where she found Ran and Miyu and Elile waiting for her at a table.

_"Oh no, Elile again..."_

"Oi! Aya! Where were you tomodachi?" Elile asked worriedly. Aya glared at her. Elile wasn't and was never going to be her "tomodachi" (friend). Miyu looked worried too.

"Aya, please tell us, we were all worried. Even Naka-teach thought that he must have offended you or something."

Without saying a word to either, Aya walked past them to the lunch line where they followed, obviously wanting an explanation.

"I wasn't anywhere." she replied simply "I just went to the bathroom, but I had the feeling none of you would listen so I just went without asking." They all glanced nervously at each other. There was just pinprick of coldness in her voice. What's her problem?

* * *

The rest of the day flew by, and soon, the dismissal bell rang.

"Yatta!" Ran exclaimed "We can go to the mall at last! Ikimashou, Eli-san! (Let's go Elile!)"

Elile nodded gleefully "Okay!"

As they headed toward the mall, they saw Yamato, Rei and Yuuya at the doorway.

"Hey, Ran! Miyu, Elile, Aya!" Yuuya greeted them.

_"Oh, Asuo-kun, Kotobuki-kun and Otohata-kun are coming too. I bet Elile is going to try to get on their good side… But she probably already is..."_ Aya thought and involuntarily bowed her head. Again.

Both Rei and Yuuya noticed this, but neither said a word. As Ran lead the way inside, Yuuya thought to himself:

_"What's wrong with Aya-chan? She seems like she's in a pretty bad mood… And that's so... Un-Aya-ish. It's probably something about Rei. I'll go bug him about it later."_

Meanwhile, Rei was also thinking about the same thing, though not exactly in the same way:

_"Aya is such an idiot, why does she always have to take things the wrong way? It's not like I made a move on Elile, and now she's being all depressed and jealous. Geez… And people wonder why I don't date."_ He gave out a sigh.

"Otohata-kun," Elile said, grasping Rei's arm "Tell me more about yourself! I can't stand seeing how much you've changed without knowing HOW you changed."

_"Then don't look at him if you can't stand it idiot!"_ Aya thought.

"I don't know how much I've changed. It's not like I keep a date book to record my evolution." Rei replied in his casual cold voice.

But Elile seemed unfazed. "Pssh, I'm sure there's something you can remember! Based on what I've heard from other girls, read in magazines and seen on commercials, your life can't be half as boring as you say it is! And I won't let you off the hook 'till you update me!"

Rei just let out another sigh and didn't say anything more.

* * *

The Shibuya mall, being as crowded as it is, caused the gang to split up. Rei pulled Aya out of the crowd while Yuuya led Ranin the opposite direction. Yamato and Miyu went somewhere to be alone and Elile got lost in the middle of the crowd.

"Ran, I have something to ask you. It's just a question… But it's something that's kind of personal and… Yeah. But before I tell you, will you promise that you won't get offended?" Yuuya asked.

"You don't have to tell me Yuuya." Ran replied "I think I know what it is. It's about Aya isn't it?"

Yuuya hesitated, then nodded. He was actually going to admit his true feelings for Ran, but he knew that this was more important.

"I don't know what her problem is, 2nd place…" Ran said him "She seems far away lately and has been acting differently… Coldly… And we both know Aya's not like that."

"Coldly?" Yuuya repeated "She must be spending too much time with Rei then!" he chuckled. Ran pulled him, roughly, close to her face and said in a stern tone

"This is not a joke Yuuya! There is something bothering her and I need to know what it is." She released him "Is it about her parents? Her studies? Does she have other problems, like the paid dating thing before? Is it a problem with us? Is it something about Rei?"

"Ummm… Don't you think you should let Aya solve her own problems by herself this time Ran? I know you've helped her through a lot, but you usually always end up causing more trouble than it's worth…" he told her nervously. He knew Ran didn't take criticism very well. Ran glared at him furiously and shouted

**"NO!"**

Aya cried out. "This has nothing to do with you Rei, it's none of your concern..." Aya said, her voice trailing off as she looked away from his blue-grey eyes and closed her own. She knew that she was lying, but admitting it to Rei would be a big mistake. He would always put her down to try and make her snap out of any insecurities she had. His advice wasn't nearly as reassuring and sympathetic as it was condescending. Rei's look hardened and he asked her:

"Is it about Eli-san then?"

At his last word her eyes flashed open and tears fell out. Rei saw this and grasped her two hands, pulling her closer to him.

"Aya, everyone is worried about the way you've been acting nowadays. You'd better settle this before you blow up with what you're feeling inside. I don't want everyone else stressing over you just because you're having all these crazy suspicions. Cause' if there's one person that Ran is gonna come after for making you cry, it's gonna be me." he said coldly. By this time, the tears were already falling on Rei's wrists as well.

Next thing she knows, he's pushing a handkerchief in her face saying, "You choose the best places to cry in Aya-chan."

Aya looked up at him, puzzled. It was the first time she heard him say her name that way. She felt a red blush coming to her cheeks, unpleasantly matching her tear-drenched eyes.

"Arigatou Rei." she whispered, as she dabbed her face with the handkerchief.

And from the other side of that little piece of cloth, unknown by anyone other than you and me, Rei smiled down at her.

* * *

_"Shimatta! (Damn It!) Where are they?"_ Elile thought to herself. _"The mall's closing soon."_

She continued walking around each floor for what seemed like hours, until she got tired and decided to wait for them outside a café. A man sitting at an opposite table hooted to her and called her name. Elile turned around, ready to send a nasty "evil-eye" to the jackss, but her face turned pale when she saw who it was.

"Hiroku…" She said, her voice trembling, eyes fixed on the figure in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

The man smirked and as he looked up to face her, you would see that he is not a man at all, but a handsome young boy about Elile's age saying:

"Now now Eli-chan that's not the way to greet an old friend." He replied, motioning to an empty chair beside him. "Koko ni kinasai mo suwarinasai. Nanika chotto nomimasuka?" (Come here and sit down. Do you want a drink?)

Elile didn't answer; every part of her body had grown numb. Every breath was slow and silent, even painful. She felt trapped, as if she was alone with this monster, instead of the fact that she was actually in a super-noisy, over-crowded teen mall. Everything else faded away. It was just the two of them, the darkness and choking feeling of being backed into a corner.

"I'm very well aware or what you're doing here Tsukino-san." he continued "Did you honestly think I'd let you forget about me that easily? We've got a lot to catch up on, you know. But now's not the time, I've got some business to run." He said as he stood up "And I'm sure that you remember well how my "clients" don't like to be kept waiting. Maybe someplace a little more private next time…"

He approached her slowly, her heartbeat rapidly increasing for each and every step closer he was to her. She was in a cold sweat. She wanted to push him away with all her might, or at least push herself away. But there was nothing mighty about how she felt at that instant. A nightmare was right before her, one that you couldn't just will away. One that was nothing short of a LIVING nightmare...

He leaned closer to her until their faces were only inches apart. In a moment, he had kissed her, gently and somehow, lovingly. After pushing himself back on his feet, he gave her a strange smile and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Elile breathless and scared out of her wits.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of the updated version of Chapter 2! Hope you liked it. If you see any typos or mistake in my Japanese, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks for taking the time to read it and review!_

_- Crissie_


	3. Confrontation

The Past Has No Place in My Heart

To the Readers: by Crystal...

Hi! Crissie is back! Thank You to the pipz who reviewed my fic, Camillelkx and Drops of Jelly and to the other pipol who read it. I'm sorry that I put so many Japanese things in it. I just can't resist! And for the fact that I updated so late, ran out of Internet card kasi. I'm not sure what will happen in this chapter, I'll just make it up as I go along. Please review so I can make it better! Just a reminder: I DON'T OWN SUPER GALS! Don't be offended, this is just so that there won't be any mess later.

* * *

"I have to get out of here!" Elile told herself

As she tried to get up, her legs began to feel like jelly. She was powerless, the kiss had driven her nuts. She started to make for the exit. It was only about 50 feet or so away, but she felt she was running slower than she could walk. Everything blurred in her sight and she saw seven figures standing before her. And as she reached near enough to touch them, it grew dark. There was a loud thud. She had fainted.

"Where am I?" Elile said. She was suddenly in another world, a place quite familiar... It was Osaka. Her home...

Or is it?

She saw Hiroku stand before her, as well as everything else that she used to know. It were her old friends, her family, her baby sister,Kina, and all the people whom she had loved and had loved her back. But at first she couldn't recognize them, as they looked like something that came from the dead. They all came toward her, with agony and desperation in their faces, each one moaning

"Come back to us!"

"You can't hide forever!"

"Give us back what you took from us!"

Elile backed away until she was up against a stone wall that had appeared out of nowhere. Hiroku pinned her against the wall and cried out

"You're trapped! You've got nowhere left to hide. I told you that I'd come back to you. No matter who or where you run to, I'll always come back to you..."

Slowly, everything else started to fade away once more but Hiroku's voice rang loud and clear in her head like a bell:

"I'll always come back to you..."

* * *

"Augh!" She opened her eyes and lunged herself forward. Where was she this time? She looked around, and discovered that it was a room. A cozy little bedroom. She put her hand to her forehead and frantically tried to remember the last thing that happened to her. It was all going on so fast she could hardly soak any of it in.

"That's right." She remembered "I had a dream"...

A nightmare is more like it.

She stood up and wandered around the room. She couldn't pluck up the courage to open the door and go out yet. So she had to make do with looking around inside. She looked out the windows. She opened the closet and the drawers but there was nothing useful but a bunch of bedsheets, towels, blankets and the like. As her eyes ran across the room, something ON the wall caught her attention. It was an old picture of a girl in what seemed to be garden. Elile gasped and ran to one of the windows. The garden in the picture was right before her eyes!

"I must be in the home of this girl. I must remember to thank her... Perhaps I should thank her now."

Slowly and silently, she walked towards the door and hesitated. She looked at the picture again and peered at the young woman closer. She looked so familiar...

"Hoshino-san!" Elile exclaimed out loud. It was a picture of Aya. After a few moments, the door slowly creaked open and Aya poked her head in saying "Nani?"

Elile let out a giggle and hugged Aya tightly saying "Arigatou Aya-san!"

"No problem." Aya replied tentatively

"But I still have one favor to ask." Elie asked her "If it's not too much, can you tell me what happened to me exactly before I blacked out?"

"That's a question we should be asking you" Aya replied annoyed. Besides, it wasn't her idea to let Elile stay at her guestroom, it was her friends', or more precisely, Rei's. That made her irritated, but Elile pouncing on her like a cat made her mad. She didn't want to be hugged by someone who wanted to steal Rei from her. But as usual, Elile was oblivious to the negative feelings of her new "tomodachi".

"Elile! You're awake!" a cheerful voice behind her chirped. It was Ran. She ran in and gave Elile a big hug and squeezed her until she finally started to wheeze.

"Nice to see you too Ran!" Elile replied chokily. Behind Ran was Rei, Yuuya and Miyu all looking very worried(Rei didn't look worried-duh!). But Elile's smile assured them all that she was fine.

They led her to the den of Aya's house where the maid brought in some muffins and lemonade. They were all curious to find out what had happened in the mall awhile ago. Elile took a big sip of lemonade and was silent for a moment. She didn't know what to tell them. Finally, she said "I just got tired Ran. I was wandering in the mall looking for you and I didn't have breakfast this morning so I guess that I just collapsed out of hunger or something like that." The others didn't seem like they believed her so she said "But at least I'm okay now, right?" That didn't really convince them either, but it was rational. I mean, Ran collapsed out of hunger a lot, it could really be possible that Elile does too.

Soon, everyone had just dismissed it as coincidence and soon they were all chatting away again as if nothing had happened. But Elile, despite her efforts to get in the conversation, could not help her mind drifting off to his voice in her head

"I'll always come back to you..."

* * *

"It's settled then."

Ran said "We'll go to Palm Tree restaurant after school tomorrow, since Rei and Yuuya have no classes." Elile smiled.

"I don't know why but the very thought of seeing Rei is getting me very excited!" she said happily.

Miyu was surprised at this and glanced at Aya. Aya scowled, she hated it when Elile talked about Otohata, it was always with fondness and she acted as if she knew everything about him. Miyu noticed this, but decided to keep quiet for the time being. She didn't want anyone to feel rejected, be it Aya or Elile.

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow." she thought to herself.

"I don't understand." Aya thought to herself as she walked to school. "Why am I feeling like this? Everything inside me is so blurry..."

**"You will never understand how much I suffered**

**But despite all that you turn away,**

**You yourself might leave me,**

**But my love is here to stay..."**

She entered the school campus. It was almost empty. She realized that she had come to school very early, not having much sleep last night.

**"I won't sleep nor will I eat**

**All I can do is sacrifice.**

**I will defeat the doubt in your heart**

**I will battle all the lies..."**

"Hoshino-san!" A girl called. It was her classmate, Sakura. "Hoshino-san! What do you think of the new girl, Elile Tsukino? Since I see that you hang out a lot, I think that your opinion would be much more relevant"

"Great." Aya thought "I came here just so I could get away from her and still I feel like the world revolves around her."

"I have no comment about her, And I don't hang with her, she hangs with Ran." Aya replied

Sakura gave a sneaky grin "Well, if you promise not to tell Hoshino, I've got some hot gossip about her!". Aya leaned closer as Sakura cupped her hands over Aya's ear and whispered

"Elile and Rei used to date a few years ago, before Elile moved to Osaka with her parents."

Sakura leaned back and faced Aya. "Some say that they broke up because they were more friends than lovers, but in my opinion, I guess that they weren't ready for a long-distace relationship. And now that Elile has moved here, I think they're going to be back for sure." Sakura sighed:

"And there goes my dream of being Mrs. Otohata..."

She then became silent and looked as if her mind was a million miles away. Aya glanced at her and thought "Oh no! I knew it! They are more than friends, I was right all along! Elile only came here for him..." She couldn't hold back the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. Not knowing what she was doing, she ran out of the school campus and into the empty streets of Shibuya(and believe it or not, Sakura didn't notice a thing).

Aya continued to run, unable to stop until she bumped into another person and fell flat onto the floor. "G-gomenasai! I wasn't looking sir and..."

"What are you crying about this time!" an irritated voice asked her.

As she looked up, she gasped and wished that she had stayed at the school campus instead of bumping into him.

Yup, you got that right, Rei.

* * *

Back at Hounan High, everyone had started arriving, including Ran, Miyu and Elile.

"Where is Aya?" Miyu asked sounding worried "Classes is about to start and she isn't here yet."

"She's just probably late." Elile tryed to reassure her

"Aya is never late." Ran told her "She has perfect academic grades in everything, even punctuality."

"Unlike some people I know," Miyu said sarcastically "Who on the other hand, fail their academic grades in everything."

"Put a sock in it Miyu, or else I'm gonna have to..." Ran began when,

"KOTOBUKI!"

It was Naka-teach. "You'll have to do what? You'll pick a fight! If you don't want me to report you to the principal's office, you better head to the classroom, NOW!" he barked.

"All right, all right, no need to shout at me you know." Ran replied smugly.

"MARCH!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the other side of town. The wind cuts sharply through the empty streets, leaves encircle the air gently as the moment of confrontation comes once again for two young lovers.

"Rei, Please... Tell me the truth. It hurts so much right now..." Aya stammered. "I'm begging you, just this once, listen to me..."

Rei could only look at her with his hard, icy blue eyes. He didn't say anything, but the slight twinkle in his eyes told her that he was listening.

"Say something!" she cried out, but was responded with silence.

Aya knew where this was going. She'd been here before. She was going to pour her heart out to Rei and he would just watch her suffer coldly. After that, he would just leave her at the end with nothing but the cold rain and the aching feeling of her burning heart. Her conscience begged her not to say a word, as she would fall apart if she did. One question rang through their minds,

**Hatred, Jealousy, Humiliation, Longing, Anger, Confrontation, Decision, Heartbreak...**

**Would Love be able to conquer all that?**

* * *

Uhmmm... That's it! Drops of Jelly told me to put up my third chappie A.S.A.P so I had to rush it. She's my batchmate, kasi. I'll try to improve my storylines in the future chappies too. I know this one totally sucks. I also need to plan the next chappie pah. By the way, those bold quotes throughtout the chappie are juz there to add the drama, in case it's confusing you...

Till' next time then!

-Crissie


	4. Where are You?

The Past Has No Place In My Heart

_Okay, another chapter is up, I know I upload real slow but school is way stressful. But thankfully, it's our Semestral Break so I have more time to work on my chapters. This chappie has some quotes in it too, and I tried to put a little humor into it but I'm just not that gifted in writing. SOB Oh well... And just F.I.Y., I think there'll be six chappies of this ficcie... This is the fourth right!(Talking to myself) Yeah, it's the fourth. Before you read this ficcie, I DON'T OWN SUPERGALS! But I do own MoonGAL mall... I made it up so I own it, dig? And pleaseohplease review._

_Okay, I made some changes in this chapter because I reread it and I found that there were a lot of errors and hanging parts of the story that make it sorta confusing. So I'm sorry that I'm gonna have to ask you to read this again, just so that you won't be confused with how the story turns out._

* * *

The sun shone brightly one afternoon and it excited the three girls very much. All in fact, except for one... 

"Yes! Today will be a great day to go shopping!"

"I can go to the park and study Chemistry there!"

"I hope I can see Yamato today. Perhaps I can go to his station later."

"Everyone looks so happy... Why couldn't I be like them? Don't I belong here?"

**"The coldness of the rain...**

**This pain that only I can feel...**

**Love that has left me scarred forever..."**

She had told Ran and the others about Hiroku, her ex-boyfriend who just happened to be in town. Before she could think about it anymore, a loud obnoxious voice snapped her our of her reverie.

"Eli-san!"

Ran leaned over to her desk whispering "Meet at MoonGAL mall later kay?" Elile just nodded her head and before Kotobuki could reseat herself at her desk, Naka-teach's voice boomed "KOTOBUKI! How many times do I have to tell you! No talking in class!" Ran's face, usually so proud and determined, now looked like that of a terrified goat "Demo-Naka-teach..." she began, but the teacher didn't let her finish.

"Do problem numbers three to twenty-four, on the board!"

The terrified look on Ran's face was replaced by an angry stare. "Eh! That's abuse! You can't possibly let a minor do that much work! Wait'll my parents here about this!"

"Is that right?" Naka-teach smirked. "Want me to call them up right now?" he said as he held up his phone.

"Mou!"

Elile giggled, so did Aya and Miyu. It was a funny scene seeing the two look like they're ready to rip each others' heads off.

**"Seeing you smile makes me laugh...**

**Seeing you frown makes me mad...**

**You can always count on me to be there..."**

* * *

After class, Ran complained about what happened. "Mattaku! I hate it when Naka-teach does that! He's always picking on me!". 

"Ran," Aya soothed, "Naka-teach just reprimanded you because he's tired of you failing his class(along with all your other classes except gym) and he doesn't want you to be retained."

"That's right!" Miyu added with a smirk "No person whose met you couldn't stand you for another year and live to tell the tale. Goodness, Ran! You'll drive him to his grave, fifty years earlier than planned by death!"

Ran glared hard at Miyu, who couldn't help but shudder under her friend's chilly stare. Elile took her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed Rei's number. "Moshi-moshi? Rei-kun, Ran says to have a gimmick later at MoonGAL mall. Will you come?"

Meanwhile, on the other line, Yuuya watched Rei's face disfigure. He knew what that look meant, Ran had something in store for them and Rei had to go. Rei always thought that these outings were big wastes of time. "I don't want to." he replied "Yuuya and I have plans already."

"Sou ka?" Elile said sounding disappointed.

Yuuya grabbed Rei's phone before he could answer and talked into it "Eli-san? Yes, we can go, we'll meet you there in half an hour, okay?"

"Asuo-kun? Sure! But I thought you had plans with Rei already."

"Don't worry, we've cancelled them already, they aren't important anyway..." Before he could finish, Otohata sprang up and tugged his phone from Yuuya's hand while Yuuya held onto it tightly. The struggle caused one of them to push the "reject" button and cancel the call.

"Yuuya? Rei? Hello?" No answer. "I guess that they must have hung up." she thought. When she looked back at her three friends, they were all staring at her.

"Nani? Do I have something on my face?" she asked dumbly

"Iya! We want to know what they said." Ran said impatiently.

"They're coming."

"Yatta!" Ran exclaimed. "And they said yes to you right away? It takes us so long to try to convince them to come to our outings, especially Otohata. Really Eli-san, you are amazing!"

Elile smiled nervously "Well actually Ran..." before she could continue, Ran grabbed her arm and started to drag her forward. "We're going to the mall! Now!" she said.

"Mochiron, Kotobuki-san!"

Miyu followed, telling Ran not to jerk Elile so hard because it hurt while Aya lagged a little bit behind. "Why does she have to be so close to Rei? Doushite?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuuya, rubbed his head as he had fallen when Rei had pushed him "Man, Rei" He said "You look way harmless, but you have no idea how much trouble you could cause with that innocent bishounen facade of yours." Rei glared and replied "I don't look innocent. And, I don't cause trouble like-" he paused for awhile "Like Ran." Yuuya was puzzled, he had known Rei for years, did Rei actually like Ran? 

"No, it can't be." he said to himself "I know Rei, he doesn't, he wouldn't" Yuuya looked at Rei and gathering all his courage(it takes a lot of guts to ask Rei personal questions) asked him

"Hoshino no koto suki na no?"(do you like Hoshino-san?)

Rei didn't answer, instead, he just took some CDs on the table and started to categorize them in the proper shelves saying "You said you were going to the mall with them didn't you? Well, why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for you, Rei."

"I'm not going."

"What! I already told Elile-san that BOTH of us are going. What'll I say if Ran asks where you are?"

"That's your problem."

"Mou, Otohata-kun! Why would you want to disappoint your girlfriend?"

"I already told you, Hoshino is not my girlfriend."

"Not Aya, I meant Tsukino. Everyone knows that both of you were THE "item" before. Well, I guess it's only rumours but... It does seem convincing"

Rei turned around and headed for the counter where another pile of CDs was waiting. "That's all they were Yuuya." he replied icily

"Rumours".

Yuuya shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He was starting to realize the situation with Aya. Was she jealous! He shook his head.

"No" he thought, "Aya can't be jealous. She's not that kinda girl... But she does love Rei..."

Rei glanced at him and as if reading his mind said "I thought so too."

Yuuya looked up surprised and said "What!"

Rei looked away and said "I didn't think Aya would feel that way. But she certainly seems troubled."

"Haven't you even bothered to talk to her about it?"

"She's the one who's judging wrongly. If she doesn't understand something, it's better she come to me than I being the one to approach her with what, Hi Aya! I heard your jealous, let's talk about it?" Rei replied sarcastically.

"Oh boy." Yuuya sank deeper into his chair, exhausted. "Well, you could at least try to talk to her to keep her from getting too emotional on the subject. But you are right on the 'I don't know what to say thing', women don't take things very easily."

Yuuya stared at Rei, waiting for his response. When he didn't say anything, he decided to changed the subject.

"When are we going to MoonGAL mall?"

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"Rei." Yuuya said in this defeated way "You're coming, I already told you, Ran won't take no for an answer."

"Learn to live with disappointment."

"Rei, you'll totally diss Elile, Aya, Miyu and Ran!"

"I've dissed much worse people."

"C'mon Rei! For me? You're best friend in the whole wide world? I'm begging you Rei! I need you to be there while I make a move on Ran."

"Yeah right. I know that that's not the real reason you want me there. You want me there because of Aya and Elile."

"If you don't come with me, I'll stay here and annoy you!" Yuuya warned

"Darn." Rei thought.

* * *

At the mall, Elile notices a passerby with a cap who seems to be following them, 

"Is it Hiroku?" she wondered.

She decided to keep quiet for awhile until she finally told Ran that she thought someone was following them. Ran turned around and Hiroku was there again. She turned to face him and demanded:

"What are you doing here, following us around the mall for the past half hour!"

The man turned around and started to run, but Ran caught him first. She lifted him up by his collar and threatened "What are you doing here? If you're thinking about hurting Elile-san or one of my friends, you'd better forget about it. If you mess with Ran Kotobuki's friends, you mess with the Queen of Shibuya herself!"(waaay assuming!).

The look of fear quickly passed Hiroku's eyes and they were replaced by a sneaky grin. "So you're Ran Kotobuki ay? Doesn't convince me much. Your act is way lame."

Ran's eyes blazed "What act! Why you little-"

Hiroku pushed his fist down on Ran's hands so hard that she dropped him and winced in pain. "I don't see what people in Shibuya see in you. You're nothing."

Ran fumed "And you're just an idiot! A stalker that's got nothing better to do with his time! Someone who can't find a lovelife and so tries to steal somebody else's"

Hiroku was surprised at knowing that Elile had a lover. Who was it? Elile pulled Ran back and whispered in her ear

"Ran, I don't have a love life..."

To that, Ran replied loudly and clearly enough for everyone in the mall to hear

**"Of course you do! You're Otohata-kun's girlfriend right!"**

Aya and Miyu gasped while passerbys started to whisper. It was obvious what they were talking about and you could hear words like "dumped", "Aya and Rei", "Elile's prettier" and etc. Everyone was too busy staring at Elile and Ran to notice that Aya's eyes were already filling with tears. In the midst of all the confusion, she fled and no one seemed to notice she was gone(This is happening quite a lot lately.). Or at least she thought, Hiroku had seen her and an evil plan formed in his cunning mind.When no one was looking, he too slipped into the crowd and disappeared. Ran had tried to chase him but got distracted when passing a Ramen noodle cart and eventually lost sight of him.

* * *

Hiroku searched the mall for his victim, his eyes keeping a close look-out for Ran. He found her in a cafe shop on the highest floor sitting by herself with a lonely, puzzled expression on her face, her hazel eyes telling the story of great pain. And he approached her. She looked up at him surprised. And when she finally recognized him, became frightened but stayed where she was. He grinned at her and without a word, seated himself directly in front of her. 

"Hi."

She stayed silent. Somehow, she knew that she could not trust him. Instinct told her to run but she could not will herself to. What was he doing here? He laughed at her silence, causing her to be more afraid. He put his face closer to hers and said "I know what your feeling. Keep silent, but it will only expose your lies. I know you can't stand Elile. I want to help you. Tell me..."

"...Aya-san."

Aya closed her eyes and tears flowed down involuntarily. "I-I..." she stammered.

"Yes, go on..."

"I love... I love Rei!" she cried out "I love him. Even though he may not return my ardor I love him! I don't understand why she has to take him away from me!" He grinned secretly, his plan was going well. Aya's love would lead to her own demise.

"Yes, I understand your pain. I love Elile too... But your boyfriend has been keeping her away from me, and I only want her back. We're practically on the same side, and I want Elile back, just as much as you want Rei..."

Aya blinked. "What was going on?" Elie had told them that Hiroku was just some old lovesick maniac. But right now, the person she least wanted to trust was Elile. Blinded by love, she decided to trust him, counting that his intention was pure.

"I only want Rei back..."

* * *

Ran, Miyu and Elile were now in the parking lot of the mall. They had tried to search for Aya, but the crowd was too dense for a thorough search and everyone shot them uneasy looks. Elile sat on a bench nearby, her feet shifting nervously. Miyu sat down beside her to calm her friend "Don't worry Elile. Everything's going to be alright, there's no sign of that lunatic and if you want, you could sleep over at my place tonight if you feel too uncomfortable." 

"Thanks Miyu. Yeah, I'm so scared..."

Ran stood and watched for any sign of Rei and Yuuya. At a distance. she saw them approaching. Waving, she caught their attention and they started to walk toward the trio.

"Where's Aya?" was the first thing Rei said to them

"That's just it." Ran replied "We don't know. She was in the mall with us a while ago, but then some maniac came over and..."

Ran's eyes widened in fear. Without another word to anyone, she rushed to the entrance of the mall. Instinct told the others to follow. Yuuya, being the closest to her, asked her breathlessly "What are you thinking Ran? Tell us what happened before you go cheetah on us and sprint for some deer you'd like to catch."

"There's no time." Ran said, and after a short look around the floor, she mumbled "She's not on this floor."

She took to the stairs and raced up to the second floor. After driving her eyes across the area, headed for the third floor. After a few more floors, the others finally caught up (Rei wasn't with them, by the way). Seeing that her prey was not in sight, Ran sighed. "Only one more floor to go. Wait, where's Otohata?" Naturally not the type who runs and waits for everyone else, the dude had gone off by himself. No one replied to that question and instead demanded what Ran was thinking, dragging them up several floors without even telling them what they were looking for. Ran told them her hunch:

"I think it's strange that while Aya hasn't shown up, neither has Hiroku. Don't you think it's uncanny that both are missing at the same time?"

Elile gasped at the thought and Miyu tried to prove the hunch wrong saying: "Ran, the only reason why Hiroku hasn't shown up is because you intimidated him back there and Aya was probably looking for us, but couldn't find us because we were outside."

"But Aya has a cellphone and would've contacted us if she were looking for us... And that guy... He's not the type who'd back off after something as small as that. If Aya is with him, she's in a lot of danger. That man is crazy for Elile, and he'll try to use Aya's heart for Rei against her!" Ran concluded

Elile was shocked. And hesitantly she asked, "Aya loves Rei?"

Everyone turned to stare, realizing what they had just blurted out. While everyone tried in vain to think of an answer, Yuuya thought to himself "Rei, of all times, why did you have to leave now?"

Meanwhile, the couple in thought were undoubtedly searching for each other, thinking the same thing:

Rei: "Aya..."

Aya: "Rei..."

_**"Where are you?"**_

* * *

_Hehe... In one part, I actually made you think that Rei had something for Ran right? Don't worry, he doesn't. I know you may consider some parts weird but I need fillers for it not to become so boring. And I know that it is waaay dragging. The plot I mean. Sorry! Please review, feel free to point out my mistakes and push them in my face... I'll try to put up the fifth chappie soon, I'm working on it now that it's my Semestral Break. The problem is... I don't have any Internet connection. waaaa! Oh well, I'll find some way... The story must continue! _

_-Crissie, the Boremaster_


	5. A Secret Plot

The Past Has No Place in My Heart

_Hello SuperGALS! Fans! I know that I haven't updated in a long time (a year or more?) And I hope that people are still actually reading this. If you are, please review! I seriously need your advice so I can make my next fics better! Okay, I sorta lost my original plot that was supposed to follow this chapter, but I made a new one based on what I remembered. Thankfully I have DSL and lotzz of free time (Its summer now!) so I can do more work on it. Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Have fun reading!_

_-Crissie_

Aya walked down the escalator, feeling sad and confused… She didn't know what to do.

She knew what her conscience was telling her, but Hiroku's offer would mean the end to all of her problems… Or would they?

"I know what I have to do!"

"**Aya!"**

Aya looked up and saw Ran running in her direction. She glanced at her flushed friend and walked off, leaving her behind. Puzzled by Aya's strange reaction, Ran chased after her and grabbed her painfully by the arm. Aya yelped.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Ran demanded "Walking away from me, right after I scoured the entire mall for you!" Aya's eyes met hers and Ran gasped. In the split second that Ran was caught off-guard, Aya yanked her arm from her friend's grip and said without looking at her:

"Leave me alone Ran. I just want to go home."

And she ran off, with Ran staring at her, dumbfounded, until she disappeared in the crowd. At that moment, Rei, Elile and the others came running towards Ran. "Ran! There you are. Where's Aya? We just saw her with you…" Miyu began, but her voice trailed off when she saw the look on Ran's face, telling her that something was not right, and that now was not the best time to talk about it.

"Aya's gone home. I think we should too…"

"Don't you think you're overreacting Ran?"

Miyu asked on the phone as she plopped onto her sofa. She and Ran had promised to talk on the phone about what had happened earlier that day. They felt it was best not to talk about it when the others were around, because they knew that their suspicions might be quite offending to Rei and Elile.

"No Miyu, I'm not! I swear, I saw her eyes and they were blazing, something I had never seen in Aya before. I just know something bad's gonna happen. We should keep a close eye on Rei and Elile, in case that Hiroku guy ever shows his fat a again. He looks like the type who wouldn't think twice about doing something stupid."

"What about Aya? Shouldn't we be taking care of her of all people? She seems to be the most vulnerable at the moment"

"Of course! But that's only if she'll let us. Seeing her face and listening to the strange tone in her voice told me that whatever happened was something that isn't going to slip easily. The best way to find out what's going on is to ask her."

"I know that! I've called her a few times already but only got her machine. I left her some messages and some emails, but she hasn't replied to anything yet. And I don't know when's the next time I'm gonna be seeing her."

An idea flashed in Ran's mind. "But I do!" she glanced at her clock. 3:45 pm. "I have tutorial sessions with Aya at 4:00! I'll ask her then."

"And if she doesn't talk?"

"I'll beat the info out of her. The best way I get my information off of my enemies is by cruel torture and hardcore physical violence!" Ran said proudly.

"But Aya isn't your enemy, she's your friend! And we have to let her know we're on her side or else she'll never tell us anything."

"Listen Miyu, I'm gonna do this my way, the hard way if I have to. It seems harsh to you, but I don't wanna see my friend get any worse with me doing nothing about it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready. I'm in my PJ's, Sayo and Masato left the place a complete mess and Aya will be coming in 15 minutes. Bye!"

"Ran, wait…"

_ click _

"What in the world is taking so long?" Ran thought furiously "It's 30 minutes past 4:00!"

"Face it Ran, she's not coming." Miyu said to her. Miyu had come over to the house in hopes that Aya would show up. But she didn't, and as time passed by, they we're getting more and more discouraged. As Miyu got up to leave, Ran grabbed her hand and yelled: "We're not leaving here until I say so! Aya is coming and that is that!".

Miyu sighed and sat back down.

They ended up waiting until dinnertime, during which Ran's mom insisted that Miyu stay for supper. "No thanks Mrs. Kotobuki! There's still a lot of things I have to get done in the house. Maybe next time, see you later Ran!" Miyu smiled as she left the house. But once she was outside, she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She felt terrible. Miyu knew what it was like to be alone in the middle of a problem that seemed unfixable. It broke her heart to think that one of her closest friends just might be experiencing the same kind of pain. What was going on with Aya?

She walked through alleyways and dark streets on the way home. As she passed by one alleyway though, she heard soft voices and stopped dead in her tracks to listen. There seemed to be a male and female voice present.

"Do you only want Butterscotch? Not Marzipan or any of the others?" the girl asked

"Yeah. Be sure to bring the cake 6:30 that night. Not any later or any earlier. And wear white. That way, I'll know that you're part of the entourage." The boy replied

"Wedding Planners." Miyu thought "But what a strange place to hold a meeting. And at this time of night too." She dismissed the matter and continued to walk home.

Meanwhile, Rei and Yuuya talked about the situation with Aya in Rei's bedroom. Yuuya was pacing back and forth across the room in deep thought, while Rei watched him, bored. "I swear Yuuya, you're making much more of a deal out of this than what it really is."

"And I swear Rei, you don't seem to realize the seriousness of all of this! Something is bothering Aya and we don't know what it is. For all we could know, she might be hooking up with a criminal or something."

Rei sighed. "That's going overboard. Aya probably just needs some down time. I can respect that. Besides, don't you ever get those times wherein you just want to forget the world and wish that the world would forget you too?"

"I just don't think that's it Rei. There's something about the way she treated my sweet Ran… Something that's totally not like Aya. What if its that guy Elile was telling us about? What if he's gotten to Aya? I just don't think its something as little as wanting to shut the world out of your head. Things like that don't usually last very long."

"Then what you're thinking is more reasonable? Yuuya, if there's one thing Aya has, it's smarts. And I know that she is definitely SMART enough not to do something any maniac would tell her to. And based on what Ran's told us, she probably hates the guy right now. I think we should just leave Aya alone for awhile. She'll come to us when she's ready…"

"I hope you're right Rei." Yuuya said. They talked (more like argued) about it a bit more for a few minutes, until Yuuya decided it was time for him to leave. He went for the door and then paused. Yuuya turned around and said to Rei "You know Rei, when I saw that you weren't as worried as we were, I was pretty mad at you cuz it seemed like you just didn't care. But now, I'm glad that there's at least one of us, who can think clear and calm for now, cuz I think that's just what we might need." Then he opened the door and left.

"No Yuuya." Rei said silently "I do care… So much that it's driving me crazy, knowing that there's nothing I can do about it…"

_Okay, that's the end of the chappie! Please review on what I need to improve so that I can make it better. I already planned the next chapter and the 7th one, but I haven't really planned the ending yet. I'm sorry if the story is kinda dragging, but we're down to the last 2 chapterz, promise! The next two chapters are a little shorter because I cut up the ending into 2 parts. I still hope you enjoy it though._

_-Crissie_


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